TAX ALERT - SMALL BUSINESS ENTITIES REDUCED TAX RATES & IMPUTATION RULES

Lowe Lippmann Chartered Accountants

The Treasury Laws Amendment (Enterprise Tax Plan) Bill 2016 was introduced into Parliament on 1 September 2016 and contains a number of changes to progressively reduce the corporate tax rate for small business entities and the franking of dividends which apply from 1 July 2016.

It is important to note that these changes apply to "small business entities" (or SBEs), which are corporate tax entities which satisfy two requirements: (a) carrying on a 'business'; and (b) having aggregated turnover below the 'aggregated turnover threshold'.

While a reduction in the tax rate will clearly benefit companies, be aware that consider the profits earned by the company will eventually be paid to shareholders in the form of dividends, and it is necessary to consider the taxation of these dividends when determining the total tax paid on company profits.

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Practice Update – May 2025

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